Harpist WENDY KERNER is the Founder and Director of the Elyrica Program.  She is a full- time professional harpist who maintains an active teaching studio in Wilton, CT.  She is also an adjunct Professor of Harp at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield.  Her students have won awards for harp performance from the National Federation of Music Clubs, the American Harp Society, the Stamford Symphony, the Schubert Club of Fairfield County, St. Paul’s School in London and Manhattanville College.  Wendy has worked with Arts for Learning of CT performing extensively for schools.  Wendy, who began the harp at the age of seven, was a scholarship student at The Juilliard School where she received her Bachelor and Master of Music Degrees in Harp Performance with Susann McDonald.  Wendy was presented in her New York Debut in Carnegie Recital Hall as a winner of the Artists International Competition.  She has appeared in concert throughout the United States, including a recent concerto appearance with the Orchestra of New England, and performances at Yale University, Bennington College, The JFK Memorial Library in Boston and a performance with the Chamber Orchestra of Russia. She is a founding member of the Irish group Themselves, the harp duo A Two of Harps; and she manages and performs in the septet the Fontenay Chamber Players.  She is the principal harpist with The Norwalk and Ridgefield Symphonies in CT and the Westchester Chamber Soloists in New York. In 2022 Wendy was awarded an Artists Respond Grant from The Department of Economic and Community Development, Connecticut Office of the Arts, which receives support from the federal ARPA. See more about Wendy at www.WendyKernerHarp.com

 

Carrianne Dillon began the harp at age 5 with Wendy Kerner, and went on to study with Gretchen Brumwell at Cornell College. She has a Masters of Education degree and also earned a Masters of Fantasy with Merit from the University of Glasgow, and is a Magna Cum Laude graduate of Sacred Heart University with a degree in English Literature. Carrianne is enjoying her long-term role as a sixth grade English teacher at Western Middle School in Greenwich. She teaches private harp lessons and has performed the harp in numerous orchestras including appearing as Principal Harpist with the Norwalk Symphony in their performances of The Nutcracker. She received 5 gold cups from The Schubert Club of Fairfield County’s Young Musicians Festival, and was awarded the Stamford Symphony’s Roger Nierenberg Commendation for exceptional achievement in music studies with the harp. She also teaches violin and viola at Bethel Music Center, and coaches violin as part of the Stamford Young Artists Philharmonic.

 

 

Alexandra Kovatch is currently pursuing doctoral studies in music conducting at the University of North Texas, recently conducting multiple performances of The Nutcracker. She was also recently appointed Music Director of the Ozark Festival Orchestra in Monett, Missouri. Alexandra has served as a music faculty member at Drury University in Springfield, Missouri, where she also led the university orchestra, coached the university string quartet and taught music classes. Previous positions include Graduate Assistant Conductor of the Missouri State University Symphony and Conducting Fellow for the Allentown Symphony Orchestra. Throughout the past three years, Alexandra has also organized orchestral performances in Springfield, MO.
Growing up in Connecticut, Alexandra studied harp with Wendy Kerner beginning at age 9. As a harpist, Alexandra has played at the American Harp Society National Conference (2016) and the Young Artists’ Harp Seminar. She has performed harp with the Missouri Philharmonic Orchestra, the Kansas City Civic Orchestra, the University of Missouri Orchestra, and the Washburn University Orchestra. Alexandra completed a Bachelor of Music from Washburn University in Harp Performance and a Master of Music in Orchestral Conducting from Missouri State University.